Baling press



Oct. 18, 1949. 2,484,890

BALING PRESS 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17. 1943 QEORGE B. HILL ATTORNEYS G. Bl HILL BALING PRESS Oct. 18, 1949.

9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17, 1943 INVEN TOR. GEORGE B. HILL mwm 8m 8m mmm mmm mhm mhm wow N9 #2 mm NON ATTORNEYS G. B. HlLL BALING PRESS Oct. 18, 1949.

Filed Dec 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR. GEORGE B. HILL ATTORNEYS Oct. 18, 1949'. G, HlLL 2,484,890

BALING PRESS Filed Dec. 17, 1943 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR.

EORGE B. HILL ATTORNEYS Oct. 18, 1949.

Filed Dec. 17, 4943 FIG. I5

FIG. l6

G. B. HILL YBALING PRESS 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 226 g o 234 /22o' INVENTOR. GEORGE B. HILL ATTORNEYS (5. B. HILL BALING PRESS .1

Oct. 18, 1949.

9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Dec. 17,1943

INVENTOR. GEORGE B. HlLL ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALING PRESS George B. Hill, Ottumwa, Iowa, assignor to Deere .Manufacturing 00., a corporation of Iowa Application December 17, 1943, Serial No. 514,707

17 Claims. 1

The present invention relates generally to baling presses and has for its principal object the provision of a novel and improved baling press of the type which picks up a windrowed crop, feeds the crop material into the press, automatically ties each bale when it reaches the desired size, and finally discharges the tied bales, no operator being required in attendance except for the operator who drives and steers the tractor or other draft device along the windrow.

A further object relates to the provision of means for severing the material at the feed opening in the bale case. Some operators prefer .that the material be severed at each stroke of the baling head or plunger in order that the bale is thus formed of slices of baled material and readily falls apart when the bale ties are removed, after which the material can be handled in sections or slices. Other operators prefer not to slice up the material but tones the material into a bale in such a way that the bale tends to hold itself together, even after the ties are removed. In this case, however, it is desirable to sever the material at the time one bale is tied and the next one started, in order to make a clean separation between the bales. A further object of the present invention, therefore, relates to the provision of tying of the bale, thus simplifying the driving mechanism. In the accomplishment of this object, the plunger headis recessed to permit it to move into and out of contact with the bale while the tying needles are operating over the end of the bale. The recesses are adapted to receive the needles, sufficient clearance being provided so that the plunger head does not engage the needles and therefore no close synchronization is necessary between the plunger head and the needles, and furthermore it is not necessary to stop the plunger head while the needles are being actuated.

Still a further object relates to the provision of a novel and improved control mechanism for initiating the operation of the tying device, responsive to the bale attaining a predetermined size. Devices for measuring the length of bales are not new in themselves, and usually take the form of a toothed wheel which engages the side of a bale and initiates a control operation after rotating a full revolution. A specific object of the invention relates to the provision of a novel tripping mechanism responsive to the measuring a severing mechanism which can optionally be set to sever the material at each stroke of the plunger, or set to cut the material only at the time of tying the bale. A related object has to do with the provision of a control means responsive to the actuationof the tying mechanism for causing the severing mechanism to cut the material at the feed opening.

Still another object of the present invention relates to the provision of an automatic mechanism for tying the bales after they are formed, thereby eliminating the necessity for additional operators to tie the bales by hand in a conventional manner. A related object has to do with mechanism which places the bale ties around the bale in planes parallel to the plane in which the material has been severed at the feeder opening. This is particularly advantageous in the case where the material is cut at each stroke of the baling plunger, so that the bale ties do not pass over the severed ends of the hay or straw or other material in the bale. This makes it easier to handle the bale, since the hands when grasping the bale ties, are not subjected to scratching by the sharp ends of the stems.

A further object of the present invention relates to the provision of a baler in which the wheel, for tripping the control element of the tying mechanism. A related object has to do with providing means for insuring that the tripping mechanism operates only once at the end of each bale, making it impossible for a condition to arise in which the tying mechanism could be caused to immediately repeat its actuation. This difliculty of a double tying actuation could be encountered in conventional tripping devices in which the measuring wheel merely releases a latch dog which allows the tripping member to move to its actuating position. Then, in case the feeding of material to the bale case were to be interrupted at this time, the measuring wheel would not be rotated any further and therefore the latch dog would be retained in its retracted position, thereby allowing the tying mechanism to repeat its tying actuation. In the accomplishment of this object, a pair of latch dogs are provided, one of which is released at some intermediate point during the formation of a bale, allowing the tripping member to move into engagement with the second latch dog, which is released by the measuring wheel at the end of the bale forming operation. After a single tying actuation, the tripping member is engaged by the first latch dog, which of course has had sufficient opportunity to be returned to its detaining position during the formation of the last part of the plunger is not required to hesitate during the bale.

These and other objects and advantages of the and defining the corners of the bale case.

present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following description, in which reference is had to the drawings appended hereto, in which Figure 11s a plan view of a windrow pick-up baling press. with completely automatic tying mechanism.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the right side of the machine.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view.

Figure 4 is a partial front elevational view showing the right-hand portion of the machine.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevational view taken along a line 5-5 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing the outer end of the baling case with the compression chamber swung rearwardly into transport position.

Figure 7 is a sectional elevational view taken through the feeding mechanism and the bale case along a line in Figure 1, showing in broken lines, various positions of the feeder in its cycle of movement, and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 7 but showing the feeder in another position of ada j ustment, in which the feeder fork travels through a greater portion of the width of the bale case.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary front elevational view similar to a portion of Figure 4, but showing the needles raised in tying position.

Figure 10 is a plan view drawn to an enlarged scale of the device which measures the length of the bale and actuates the tying mechanism when the bale has reached the proper length.

Figure 11 is a sectional elevational view taken along a line in Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a sectional elevational view taken along a line |2-|2 in Figure 10.

Figures 13-16, inclusive, are front elevational views of the measuring and tripping mechanism, showing the latter in four positions of its operating cycle and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 17 is a front elevational view of a portion of the bale case, showing the feed opening and slightly forwardly of the transverse center line thereof, whereby the weight of the machine is nearly balanced on the axles, the latter being sufiiciently spaced behind the center of gravity so that the forward end of the draft member 24 always imposes a nominal load on thedrawbar of the tractor, on which it is supported, so that there is never any tendency when travelling up-hill, to exert a lifting force on the tractor.

The draft frame 24 comprises a pair of structural beams 35, 36 connected together by a transverse frame member 3'! at their forward ends and diverging rearwardly therefrom. The beam 35 is connected at its rear end to a U-shaped frame member 38, the latter being disposed substantially horizontally and straddling the wheel 22 to interconnect the two depending supports 30 at opposite ends of the angle 32. The beam 36 is connected to a similar U-shaped frame member 39, which interconnects the supports 3| on opposite sides of the wheel 23. A draft tongue 46 is secured to the transverse member 31 and to a sec- 0nd transverse member 4| :spaced rearwardly thereof, and the tongue extends forwardly and is provided at its forward end with a hitch device 42, by means of which the tongue is connected to and supported on the drawbar of a tractor. The draft frame 24 is braced against vertical displacement relative to the bale case 2| by means of a pair of diagonal bracing members 43, 44, which are bolted to the upper portion of the bale case at laterally spaced points and converge forwardly and downwardly and are fixed at their forward ends to the transverse frame member 31.

The front and back walls of the bale case 2| comprise vertical metal sheets 50, 5|, respectively, supported between-the upper and lower main structural members 26. In the front of the bale case is provided a feed opening 52, best shown in Figures 4 and 1'7. A pair of vertical walls 53, 54

- extend forwardly from the bale case on opposite and the device for severing material fed through the opening.

Figure 18 is a plan view taken in section along line |8|8 in Figure 17.

Figure 19 is a sectional elevational view taken along a line |9|9 in Figure 17.

Referring now to the drawings, the automatic pick-up press is indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 20 and comprises, in general, a transversely disposed bale case 2| mounted on a pair of laterally spaced supporting wheels 22, 23, on which it is drawn forwardly by means of a draft member 24 extending forwardly from one side of the machine, while a pick-up device 25 extends forwardly from the other side of the machine for picking up windrowed crops and feeding them to the bale chamber, as will be explained.

The bale case 2| is rectangular in cross section disposed tranversely of the direction of advance The angle members 26 are tied together by suitable horizontal and vertical frame members 21, 28 to form a rigid structure.

The bale case is mounted on the wheels 22, 23 by means of depending supports 36, 3|, respectively, on which the axles 32, 33 of the wheels are mounted. The supports 36, 3| are in the form of U-shaped structural members, which also serve to tie the front and rear lower angle members 26 together. It will be noted in Figure 2 that the wheels are mounted beneath the bale case sides of the opening to serve as lateral guides for material being fed to the opening 52, and the walls extend upwardly above the bale case for the "purpose of supporting a feeder, indicated generally by reference numeral 55, which will be described in detail later. A floor plate 56 extends horizontally between the walls 53, 54 along the lower edge of the opening 52, over which the feeder 55 is adapted to sweep the material to be baled. The material is delivered to the floor plate 56 by means of a pick-up device 25 in the form of a harvester platform, which is mounted on the walls 53, 54 and extends forwardly and downwardly therefrom. The harvester platform 25 comprises a supporting frame 60 having a pair of laterally spaced bracketstl (see Figure 2) which are journaled on a transverse shaft 62, the latter being journaled for rotation in bearings 63 fixed to the side walls 53, 54. The details of the platform are fully disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,347,907, issued May 2, 1944, and therefore a detailed description herev is not considered necessary. Briefly, the platform 25 comprises a floor plate 64 and forwardly diverging side walls 65 and a pick-up cylinder 66, mounted transversely across the forward end of the platreceived from the pick-up cylinder ll upwardly and rearwardly over the floor plate "and delivering the crops to the floor plate 50 at the mouth.

of the feed opening 52. At the upper end of the platform 25, the chains are trained over a plurality of sheaves or pulleys l I, which are fixed to the shaft 82 and are driven thereby. The chains 69 return beneath the fioor plate 84 to the pick-up cylinder 88.

The platform 25 is counterbalanced by a pair of tension springs I connected to a transverse frame member 76, which is fixed to the draft member 36 and to the frame member 38. The springs I5 are connected to a pair of vertically disposed lever arms 'II, respectively, which are pivotally mounted at It on brackets" attached to vertical legs 80, which extend downwardly from the two side walls 53, 54 and are mounted on a transverse frame member 8|, which is supported at its outer end on the U-shaped frame member 39 and extends laterally inwardly to the draft member 36. The lower ends of the lever arms I! are pivotally connected to horizontal links 82, which extend forwardly to pivots 83 on a transverse frame member 84 which interconnects the rear sides of a pair of laterally spaced ground engageable runners 85.

The runners 85 and side walls 65 are interconnected by an upwardly arched bracing member 86. The platform 25 is raised and lowered about the axis of the shaft 62 by means of a threaded rod8I which is threaded into a trunnion nut 88 supported between a pair of spaced arms 88 fixed to the transverse shaft I8 on which the lever arms 'I'I are'fixedly mounted. The threaded shaft 81 is rotated by means of a control shaft 89 connected to the shaft 81 through a universal joint 81'. The shaft 89 extends forwardly to a suitable support 89' on the draft tongue 40 and is provided with a suitable handle for rotating the shaft 'l'hepurposeforthisadjustmentwillbemade apparent later.

The bars I converge slightly beyond the end of the supporting shaft it and are rigidly fixed to a stub shaft III, as by welding, and'the stub shaft I0! is Journaled in a hearing I" at the upper end of the side wall ,extending therethrough to support a sprocket wheel It! on the outer end of the shaft Ill. The sprocket It! is driven by a drive chain I which is trained around a second sprocket Ill fixedly mounted on adrive shaft IIO, the latter being rotatably mounted in a bearing III fixed to the side wall 54 and a bracket II2, which is rigidly supported on one of the vertical frame members 2| of the bale case. Thus, by rotating the shaft IIII through the sprocket II", the feeder arm "is swung about the axis of the shafts 86, I 08 con tinuously, during operation.

The outer end of the feeder 90 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced bearing sleeves II5, fixed rigidly to the ends of the arms SI, respectively. A feeder fork H8 is supported in the bearing sleeves II 5, and comprises a transverse shaft II'I jour'naled in the axially aligned bearing sleeves H5, and a pair of crop engaging tines or fingers H8, which extend from a pair of spring coils I I9 encircling the shaft Ill and fixed thereto by bolts I20. A tucker arm I2I is carried in offset relation on a supporting arm I22 fixed to the shaft Ill, the tucker arm I2I as well'as the fingers IIB, being adapted to engage the crops as they are carried rearwardly on the platform 25 by the chains 89 and feed the crops over the fioor plate 56 into the feeder opening 52.

The angle of the feeder fork Ilt relative to the feeder arm 90 is controlled by means of a v connecting rod I25, on one end of which is mount- 89, thereby screwing the threaded shaft 87 into or out of the Illllt 88'.

The feeder to be described below forms the subject matter of my copending application, Serial No. 577,579, filed February 12, 1945, and issued on March 15, 1949, as Patent 2,464,684, and is illustrated and described in the present case merely as representative of one type of feeder that can be employed in conjunction with the present invention.

The feeder 55 comprises a frame 90 including a pair of laterally spaced arms 9| interconnected by crossed braces 92 and by a transverse brace 93. The arms 9| are rigidly mounted on a transverse support comprising a pair of spaced bars 94 as best shown in Figures 3 and 7. A pair of bearing sleeves 95 are rigidly mounted between the bars 94 and are disposed in axial alignment to receive a support shaft 96. The shaft 96 is rigidly fixed to the end of a supporting arm 91 at the inner end of the shaft 98. The arm 91 depends from and is fixed to a shaft 98 which is rigidly supported in a hub 99 carried on the upper end of a bracket arm I00 that is pivotally mounted on the vertical side wall 53 by means of a bolt IllI which is coaxial with the shaft 96 on which the feeder 9D is journaled. The pivoted arm I00 may be swung about the axis of the bolt IIlI without shifting the position of the supporting shaft 85.

except in angular movement aboutithe-jaxis thereof. The arm IIIB can be rigidl'y' fixed in adjusted position by means of a bolt lll2lxtnding through the arm I00 and through an arcuate slot I03 in the side wall 53, the slot I" being curvd about the axis of the bolt Itl as-acenter.

ed a bearing sleeve I26 which isjournaled on a pin I21 carried on an arm I28, which is fixed to the fork shaft Ill. The opposite end of the connecting rod I25 carries a journal bearing I30, which is journaled on the shaft 98 at the upper end of the arm I00.

Referring more particularly to Figures 7 and 8, it will be observed that as the feeder arm 80 swings in a circle about the axis of the shaft 88,

the axis of the fork shaft I I1 describes a circular are about the axis 05 the supporting shaft 88,

as indicated by the dotted line A in Figures 7 and 8. Since the axis of the shaft 88 is spaced from the axis of shaft 98, the outer end of the connecting rod I25, which is pivotally connected to the arm I28, describes a circular path about the axis of shaft 98, as indicated by the broken line B in Figures 7 and 8. Inasmuch as the armate paths A, B of thefeeder fork shaft III and the pivot connection I2'I between the connecting rod I25 and control arm I28, are offset from each other, the angle between the fork H8 and the feeder arm changes continually throughout the cycle of'movement. As shown in solid lines, the feeder fork H6 is moving downwardly over the platform and the fork is, at the same time, rotating in a clockwise direction about the axis of the shaft III, until the feeder fork reaches its lowermost position substantially as indicated in dotted lines in position 0, in which 'the lower ends of the fingers Ill are swinging over the floor plate 56. As the feeder arm 90 continues its movement upwardly, the connecting' rod I25 is approximately parallel to the feeder arm III with the result that the feeder fork H6 is carrled upwardly in a generally vertical position and is retracted lengthwise from the crop 'material within the bale case 26, thus avoiding entanglement with the crop material. In position D the arm is nearly withdrawn from the crop material within the bale case 26 and continues upwardly to the position indicated by E, in which the feeder fork II6 begins to rotate at accelerated speed in a clockwise direction about the axis of the shaft 1, the ends of the tines I I8 swinging over the end of the arm 90 and into the position indicated in solid lines.

In Figure 7 the adjusting arm I is swung rearwardly to the limit of its extent of movement in a counterclockwise direction, with the securing bolt I02 moved to the forward end of the slot I66. In Figure 8,-the arm I00 is swung to its limit of clockwise movement about the axis of the bolt IOI until the securing bolt I02 reaches the rear end of the slot I03. Inasmuch as the shaft 96 on which the connecting rod I is Journaled is moved forwardly from position shown in Figure 7 to position shown in Figure 8, the lowered position of the feeder fork, indicated at C in Figure 8 is farther to the rear than the corresponding position in Figure 7 and hence the feeder fork travels over a greater portion of the width of the bale case 20 and is retracted therefrom in a position substantially closer to the back wall 6i of the bale case 20.

The arm I00 can be set in any position of. ad- Justment between the two extreme positions shown in Figures 7 and 8 by merely loosening the molt I02 and swinging the arm I00 to the desired position. When the crop material is fed at a low rate by the platform conveyor chains 69 to the feeder fork II6, it is desirable that the feeder fork travel farther into the bale case 29 in order to distribute the crop material across I46 disposed in fore and aft alignment with the slots I66 in the top of the bale case, for the purpose of receiving the fingers H9 and tucker arm I2I of the feeder fork II6, which project downwardly through the slots I46. The guide sheet I46 is curved forwardly and upwardly in order to compress the crop material fed to the feeder opening 62 by the conveyor chains on the platform 26. The guide sheet I45 also prevents material from entangling with the feeder arm 90 and with the connecting rod I25. The forward end of each slot I46 increases in width in order to insure that theflngers II8 do not interfere with the sheet I46, in case the fingers become slightly beat. The sheet I45 is mounted on a structural frame I" and the forward end of the frame I4! is supported by upwardly and rearwardly inclined bracing members I46.

The flipper ends of the side walls 53, 54 are braced against lateral displacement by laterally and downwardly inclined braces I49, the outer ends thereof being secured to the bale case.

The crops are held down on the conveyor chains 69 by means of a presser wheel I50 which is iournaled on an axle I5I supported between -a pair of arms or links I52, which extend forwardly in diverging relation and are pivotally connected by bolts I56 to the arched bracing member 66 across the forward end of the platform. The weight of the presser wheel I50 is sufflclent to maintain the crops in engagement with the chains 59, the wheel being free to swing upwardly to ride upon the top of the windrow during operation. When there are no crops on the platform, the wheel rides on the center chain 69 and continues to be rotated by the lugs 10 of the chain 69 engaging the wheel, but the weight of the latter is carried on a pair of chains I54 which extend upwardly and are connected to the transverse member of the frame I41. The details of to the feeder opening 52 and retract from the material at that point. However, on the other hand when the material is fed at a faster rate by the conveyor chains 69, such as when the windrows are thick and heavy, it is obvious that the feeder fork I I6 engages a much larger mass of material,

and at this time it is desirable that the fork should not travel as far across the bale case as in the previous instance. Hence, by setting the control arm I00 more nearly in the position indicated in Figure 7, the feeder fork can be retracted from the mass of material near the feeder opening 52 and thus does not crowd the heavy mass of material back against the rear wall 6|, with the result that a better distribution across the bale case is thereby obtained.

A top plate I35 covers the bale case behind the feed opening 52 and extends from the front to the rear angle members 26. The top plate is provided with fore and aft extending slots I66 to receive the fork tines H8 and tucker arm I2I as they swing across the bale case, and the upper front angle member 26 is also slotted at these points. Reenforcing bars I91 are rigidly fixed, as by welding, to the top plate I 35 and structural member 26 along each side of each slot I66 and are spaced apart by a spacing member III interconnecting the bars I91 at the rear ends of the slots I36. The bars I31 continue rearwardly and are joined to vertical braces 20 on the rear of the bale case.

Extending forwardly from the top of the bale case across the feeder opening." is a guide sheet construction of the wheel itself do not form a part of the present invention, but are disclosed and claimed in application, Serial No. 442,256, filed May 8, 1942, by Hill and Jones, which issued February 19, 1946, as Patent 2,394,996, to which reference" may be had for a detafled description.

Slidably disposed within the bale case 20 is a plunger comprising a head I55 and a connecting rod I56 connected to the head I55 by a suitable Wrist pin Ill. The other end of the connecting rod- I66 carries a connecting rod bearing I58, within which is journaled a; crank of a crankshaft |66. The crank I59 (Figure 3) is carried on a pair'of crank arms I60. iThe crankshaft I59 is journaled in a pair of axially spaced bearings I ll, each of which is mounted on the frame of the bale case. The front and rear portions of the bale case are interconnected by a fore and aft extending frame member'- 2'I' which arches over the path of movement of the crank, as best shown in Figure 2. The crankshaft I59 extends beyond the front and rear sides of the bale case and carries a bevel gear I65 on the forward end thereof, which meshes with a bevel gear I66 fixed to the end of the shaft IIO, through which gears power is transmitted for driving the shaft H0 and therefore the feeder arm 90. A bull gear I6'l is mounted on the rear end of the crankshaft I66. The bull gear I61 is rotated continuously by power transmitting means to be described later, thereby-rotating the crankshaft I59 at a substantially constant rate of speed to reciprocate the plunger head I55 laterally within the bale case past the feed opening 52 to compress the crop material in the bale case at the opposite I46 providedwith longitudinallyextendlng slots side of the feed opening. In this respect, the

baling press operates in a conventional manner. gradually forcing the formed bale toward the left of the machine as material is compressed therein. The bale case is provided with a floor plate I10 behind the feed opening 52 and at a slightly lower elevation than the floor 56 in front of the opening 52.

After each bale is formed, it is tied by suitable tying mechanism, the details of which do not constitute an essential part of the present invention except as they cooperate with other mechanism as will be described hereinafter. The tying mechanism can be of the type which places a wire binding about the bale, or it can be a twine tying mechanism, and it is the latter type of mechanism that is used for the purpose of this disclosure.

The twine tying mechanism includes a pair of curved needles I disposed transversely of the direction of travel of the machine and beneath the bale case 2I. As best shown in Figure 18, the needles are rigidly secured to a U-shaped support I16 comprising a supporting beam I11 extending fore and aft beneath the bale case, and

mounted at opposite ends thereof, respectively, on a pair of supporting arms I18, I19 disposed in front and in the rear of the bale case, respectively. Each of the arms I18, I19 is provided with a hub I80, which are journaled on a pair of coaxial trunnions I8I mounted on a pair of vertical plates I82, which are fixed to the front and rear sides of the bale case and extend vertically between the two vertically spaced structural members 28. The front trunnion I8I is also supported at its outer end in a plate I83 hich is bolted at I84 to the inner plate I82 above the trunnion I8I and extends forwardly and :lownwardly to its connection with the latter. The needles I15 are curved in an arc about the fore and aft extending axis of the trunnions I8I and are swingable upwardly through slots I85 in the floor plate I10.

The needles I 15 are swung upwardly about the axis of the trunnions I8I into tying position, illustrated in Figure 9, by power transmitted from a knotter shaft I90 through a pair of connecting rods I9I, each of which is journaled on a stud I92, mounted on a crank arm I93, fixed to the needle supporting arms I18 and I19, on opposite sides of the bale case 2I, respectively. The other ends of the connecting rods I9I are journaled on studs I94, which are mounted on crank arms I95 attached to and driven by the knotter shaft I90.

The-details of the knotting mechanism are well known to those skilled in the art and are similar to the mechanism used on grain binders, corn binders and the like. Inasmuch as the details of this mechanism do not constitute any part of the present invention, a complete description thereof is not deemed necessary and will therefore be omitted for the sake of simplicity. Briefly, each of the needles I15 carries a strand of twine I95, which extends from a ball of twine in a container I91 on to of the bale case. The twine extends downwardly through a suitable tensioning device 198 through eyes I99 on the needle supporting arm, and through the associated needle, which is made hollow to receive the twine, as known to those skilled in the art. Each strand of twine extends upwardly from the point of the associated needle, around the compressed material which is being baled, and thence to a knotting device 200 mounted on the knotter shaft I90. Each needle I75 is associated with one of the knotting devices 200 and as the needle swings upwardly through the bale case, the point of the needle carries the twine upwardly along the end of the bale and the knotter ties the two ends of the twine together and severs the twine at the knot in a manner wellknown to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the knotting mechanisms 200 are merely shown in outline, no attempt being made to show any of the details of the mechanism.

The knotting operation is accomplished in one revolution of the knotter shaft I90. The shaft I is rotated by means of a conventional selfinterrupting clutch mechanism 20I which is also a part of the conventional binder mechanism which is not being described here in detail, since any self-interrupting one revolution clutch can be adapted for this purpose. This type of clutch comprises inner and outer coaxially disposed members, the inner member 202 being mounted on the shaft I90 and the outer member 203 being journaled for rotation on the shaft I90. The outer member 203 is rotated continuously by means of a drive chain 204 which is trained over a sprocket 205, formed integrally with the outer member 203. The chain 204 is driven by a sprocket 206 mounted on the crankshaft I59 adjacent the bull gear I81. The clutch 20I is normally held inoperative by means of a trip lever 2I0 which is rigidly secured to a trip shaft 2, the latter being journaled for rotation about a fore and aft extending axis on a pair of supporting bracket plates 2I2, which are secured to the front and rear upper bale case frame members 26. These bracket plates 2I2 also rotatably support the knotter shaft I90. As best shown in Figure 3, the end of the trip lever 2I0 engages a latch dog 2I3 on the inner clutch member 202 and in this position, holds the latch dog 2I3 out of engagement with the constantly rotating outer member 203. The trip lever 2I0 can be swung away from the latch dog 2 I3 downwardly in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3 about the axis of the shaft 2, whereupon the latch dOg 2I3 is urged by a suitable spring (not shown) to connect the inner and outer clutch members 202, 203 together, causing the knotter shaft I90 to be rotated thereby. At the completion of a revolution of the shaft I90 th trip lever arm 2I0 engages the latch dog 2I3, disconnecting the latch mechanism and retaining the inner clutch member 202 in its normal stationary position.

The lever arm 2 I 0 is urged out of retaining position by means of a tension spring 2I4 connected to an arm 2I5 at the opposite end of the trip shaft 2, the opposite end of the spring 2I4 being anchored to a lug 2| 6 on the plate I83. However, the trip arm 2 I 0 is normally maintained in its retaining position by means of a latching device indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 220 and which will now be described.

The trip shaft 2 is provided with a holding arm 22I, fixed to a hub 222, which is rigidly mounted on the trip shaft 2I I, as clearly shown in Figures 9-16, inclusive. The holding arm 22I has a transversely bent outer end 223, which is positioned to be engaged by shoulders 226, 221 on a pair of latch members 224, 225, respectively. The two latch members 224, 225 are U-shaped, one arm of which is provided with the shoulder 226 or 221, while the other arm is provided with a camming surface 228, 229, respectively, on its inner edge. The U-shaped latch members 224, 225 are provided with supporting hubs 230, 23I, which are journaled in side by side relation on a pin 232, carried in a U-shaped bracket 233, which is fixed to the bale case and is best shown in Figure 11. Thus, the two latch members 224,225

can be tilted about the axis of the bolt 232, to

swing the shoulders 225, 221 into or out of engagement with the transverse end 223 of the holding arm 22I. The latch members 224, 225 are urged into latching or holding position by means of a pair of tension springs 234, which are suitably anchored to 9. lug 235 on the frame. 1 1

The latch members 224, 225 are shifted out of holding position by means of a pair of cams 240, 24| integrally formed on a supporting hub 242, which is rigidly mounted on a control shaft 243. The shaft 243 is rotatably mounted in bearings 244, carried on plates 245 secured by bolts 241 to standards 245 which are mounted on the bale case 2|. The standards 245 are provided with vertical slots 248 to receive the bolts 241 thus providing for adjusting the shaft 243 toward and away from the bale case 2|, The shaft 243 is rotated by means of a measuring wheel 250 comprising a disk 25I carried on a hub 252, which is mounted on the shaft 243. The disk 25| is suitably apertured to receive supporting bolts'254, around the circumference thereof, On which bolts are mounted a plurality of toothed segments 255 having radially extending slots 255 to receive the bolts 254 and providing for radial adjustment of the segments 255 with respect to the disk 25L The segments 255 have notches or teeth in the outer circumference thereof, and the wheel is positioned between one of the comer beams 26 of the bale case and a center structural member 251, with the teeth of the segments 255 extending into the bale case in engagement with the bale being formed. As the bale is formed, it is pushed laterally outwardly, thereby rotating the wheel 250 and hence the shaft 243, causing the hub 242 to rotate the cams 240, Ml into and out of engagement with the camming surfaces 229, 229 of the U-shaped latch members 224, 225, respectively. Thus, the meas- I 12 the holding arm 22 I, whereupon the tying mechanism would repeat.

To eliminate this dimculty, the two latch mem# bers 224, 225 are provided, which are tripped at different times during the formation of a bale and therefore neitherlatch member is required tobe relatched immediately after it has been shifted out of engagement with the holding arm 22I.

The operation of the control mechanism is as follows: Referring more particularly to Figures 13 16, inclusive, Figure 13 shows the position of the parts during a first step in the operation of forming a bale. Since neither of the cams 240, 24| is in engagement with. the cam surfaces 225, 229, respectively, the springs 234 hold the latch members 224, 225 with their shoulders 225, 221 in uring wheel 255 determines the length to which v each bale is formed and when a bale is completed, the cams 240, 24| cause the trip shaft 2 to be actuated to actuate the tying mechanism. Inasmuch as a complete revolution of the shaft 243 is required to measure the length of a single bale, it will be evident that the length of thebales formed can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the circumference of .the measuring wheel 25!]. This is accomplished by adjusting the segments 255 inwardly or outwardly relative to the supporting bolts 254 and at the same time raising or lowering thebearing supports 245 to position the serrated edges of the segments 255 in engagement with the top of the bales.

Although but one latch member 224 is necessary to control the trip shaft 2| I, there is a serious disadvantage inherent in the use of a single latch member. It will be appreciated that since the measuring wheel 250 is rotated by the movement of the bale outwardly through thebale case, the speed of revolution of the shaft 243 is obviously engagement with the end 223 of the holding arm 22I. The bale is moved toward the right by the strokes of the plunger head, causing the wheel to rotate slowly in a counterclockwise direction. It will be noted that the shoulder 225 on the latch member 224 is in a lower plane than the shoulder 221 on the latch member 225, therefore the end 223 of the holding arm 22I- is engaged by the shoulder 225. Finally, the cam 245 moves around into engagement with the camming surface 228 of the latch member 224 and causes the latter to swing toward the right into the position shown in Figure 14, in which the shoulder 225 is disengaged fromthe arm 22I, thereby allowing the spring 2| 4 to swing the arm 22| upwardly against the shoulder 221 of the latch member 225. This small amount of movement, however, is not suificient to trip the tying mechanism.

Further rotation of the measuring wheel 250 moves the cam 240 out of engagement with the camming surface 228, but since the arm 22| has moved over the end of the shoulder 225, the latter is prevented from reengaging the arm 22I. After a still further movement of the bale, the other cam 24| is rotated into engagement with the camming surface 229, swinging the latch memher 225 about the axis of the bolt 232 and disengaging the shoulder 221 from the holding arm 22I. The spring 2|4 now swings the arm 2|5 and therefore the trip shaft 2 in a counterclockwise direction, whereupon the trip lever arm 2|0 is comparatively slow, consequently it is difficult-to swung downwardly out of engagement with the latch dog 2|3. A hook 250, fixed to the end of the latch member 225, serves as a detent to limit the extent of upward swinging movement of the holding arm 22-|, since it is necessary to permit only enough movement to release the trip lever arm 2 I0 from the dog 2|3. This position is illustrated in Figure 15 at the beginning of the tying operation. As the clutch 20| rotates the knotter shaft I95 through one revolution, the needles I15 are swung upwardly about the studs l8| by means of the crank arms I94 and the connecting rods |9|. In this position of the trip shaft 2| a reset arm 25|, which is rigidly mounted on the trip shaft 2| I, is swung downwardly into the path of movement of the crank arm I95. As the crank arm I95 swings upwardly in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 4, to the intermediate position illustrated in Figure 9, it engages the reset arm 25I, swinging the holding arm 22| downwardly beyond the edge ofthe shoulder 225 on the latch member 224, whereupon the spring 234 immediately swings the latch member 224 to lock the shoulder 226 over the top of the end 233 of the there would be no rotation of the wheel 250 durarm 22I, as shown in Figure 16. At this time, the control shaft 243 has not been turned to disengag'e'the cam-24I from the camming surface 229 and therefore the latch member 225 is entirely inaseaaco effective. Therefore, if it were not for the latch member 224, whose associated cam 240 is entirely out of contact with the camming surface 229, the trip shaft 2| I would be free to be immediately returned to tripping position by the spring 2, thereby causing the tying mechanism to repeat. During the first part of the formation of the next bale, the control shaft 243 is rotated until the cam 2M disengages the camming surface 229, allow ing the latch member 225 to return to its original position as shown in Figure 13.

Heretofore, it has been necessary to synchronize the reciprocative movements of the plunger head with the insertion of the needles through the bale case, either by causing the plunger head to hesiqtate at the opposite end of its' stroke until the needles were withdrawn from the bale case, or to make the movement of the needles and actuation of the knotter mechanism so rapid that the entire actuation was completed between strokes of the plunger head, in order to avoid interference between the needles and the plunger head. In the present invention, this necessity for synchronization is eliminated by providing deep slots 255 in the end of the plunger head I55. The slots 255 are sufliciently wide enough to permit the plunger head to move into engagement with the end of the bale even at the time the needles are in their tying position. Obviously, it is also possible for the plunger head I 55 to move away from the end of the bale with the needles in tying position.

Each of the needles I15 is provided with a presser bar 266 positioned as a chord across the arc of the needle I15. This presser bar tends to hold the material at the end of the bale in place while the bale is being tied.

In a baler of this type, in which division blocks are not used, it is desirable to slice the material as it is fed into the bale case, when terminating one bale and starting another, in order to provide a clean division between the bales. For this purpose, it is customary to install a vertical knife blade, as indicated at 210, along the forward corner of the plunger head I55 adjacent the feed opening 52. This knife blade 210 cooperates, with a cutter bar 21! positioned along the vertical edge of the opening 52 adjacent the bale which is being formed. Heretofore, however, the cutter bar has been fixed in cutting position so that the material is severed at each stroke of the plunger, producing a bale formed of a plurality of slices of compressed crops or other material. This is considered by some operators to be a distinct advantage, for when the bale is opened the material readily falls apart and is easily handled for the purpose of feeding stock. This type of bale, however, has the disadvantage that should a bale tie break during shipment, the bale can no longer be handled as a unit. Therefore, in order to provide a baler which is adapted to make either the sliced or the solid type of bale, we have provided a mounting for the cutter bar 21I which permits the latter to be shifted away from cutting relation with the knife blade 210, with control means for automatically rendering the cutter bar ineffective during the formation of a bale, but causing it to cut the material at the time the bale is tied and the new bale is started. This automatic control mechanism is easily disconnected, however,

so that when it is desired to form a bale of sliced 7 material, it is a simple matter to cause the cutter bar to remain in cutting position during the entire baling operation.

Referring more particularly to Figures 4, 17, 18and 19, the cutter bar 21I is mounted on a shii'table cutter bar member, indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 212 and comprising a hinged panel or door 213, hinged to the front wall of the bale case for outward swinging movement about a vertical axis. The hinge comprises a pair of hinge bearings 215, coaxially aligned on a vertical axis and secured to the upper and lower bale case members 26, respectively. A vertical tubular hinge bearing 216 is rigidly fixed, as by welding, along the vertical edge of the door 213 opposite the cutter bar 21I and a hinge pin 21.1 is inserted through the aligned hinge members 215, 215. A vertically extending tubular member'or box 218 is fixed to the panel 213 alongside the cutter bar 21I for the purpose of supporting the cutter bar and also enclosing the control mechanism, as will be described. The box 218' is rigidly braced in position on the panel 213 by means of a pair of vertically spaced generally horizontal bracing plates 219.

The hinged cutter bar member 212 is resiliently urged into cutting position of the cutter bar 21I by means of a pair of vertically spaced compression springs 28!! which bear against the outer face of the panel 213 and react against a horizontal beam 28l, which is spaced forwardly of the cutter bar member 212 and is secured at one end to the side wall 53 adjacent the feeder opening and secured at its opposite end to a horizontal plate 282 which extends forwardly from the supporting plate I03 which carries the trunnion I SI of the needle carriage. A vertical bar 284 is fixed to the beam 28I and serves as an abutment for the two vertically spaced springs 280, which hold the box 219 in abutment with the bale case frame members 26, in which position the cutter bar 21I acts in cutting relation to the knife 210.

The cutter bar member 213 is swung outwardly about the hinge pin 211 at each stroke of the plunger head I55 by means of a camming plate 290 disposed horizontally beneath the feeder floor plate 56 and pivotally connected by a pivot bolt 29I on one of the transverse bale case members 21. The camming plate 290 has an inwardly inclined camming surface 292 which extends into the bale case and in a position to be engaged by the lower portion of the plunger head I55 as the latter moves toward the bale which is being formed. When the plunger head I55 engages the camming edge 292 of the plate 290, the latter is pushed outwardly from the bale case, and then upon the return stroke of the head I55, the plate 290 is returned into the bale case by means of a tension spring 295 connected between the plate 299 and a frame member 21 beneath the bale case. The movement of the camming plate 290 into the bale case is limited by a limit block 296 welded to the bottom of the plate 290 and slidable on the frame member 21 into engagement with the bale case frame member 26. Thus, as the plunger head I55 reciprocates within the bale case, the camming plate 290 reciprocates about the pivot axis 29I. This reciprocative movement of the camming plate 290 is transmitted to the cutter bar member 212 by engagement with the end of a dog 291 disposed within the box 218 in the lower portion thereof and pivotally connected by a pivot bolt 298 to the side of the box 218, providing for vertical swinging movement, to swing the end of the dog 291 upwardly out of engagement with the cam plate 290. When the dog 291 is disposed in engagement with the plate 290, outward swinging movement of the latter about the pivot bolt 25 acts through the dog 291 and pivot bolt 298 to swing the box 218 and the entire cutter bar memaseaaeo 1 her 212 outwardly about the vertical axis of the hinge pin 211, thereby disabling the cutter bar 211 and preventing the knife 210 from cutting the material. The cutter bar 211 is rendered operative, however, by raising the dog 291 until it is disengaged from the plate 290, whereupon the latter merely shifts outwardly and the lower edge of the box 213 is relieved at 299 (see Figure 19), to

permit the plate 290 to reciprocate without engaging the cutter bar member 212.

The dog 291 is controlled by means of a vertical link 300, which extends upwardl through the box 218 and through an opening 301 in the top 'through the chain 306 and bell crank 303 to lift the link 300 and thus raise the dog 291 out of engagement with the camming plate 290. Therefore, at the time the bale is tied the cutter bar member 212 is held in operative relation by the springs 230 to cooperate with the knife 210 in cutting the material which is being fed through the opening 52. After the trip shaft 211 is returned to normal position, the dog 291 drops to its normal position in engagement with the camming plate 290, after which the cutter bar is again shifted out of operative position at each stroke of the plunger head.

If for any reason, it is desired not to cut the material, it is a simple matter to disconnect the chain 306, thereby permitting the camming plate 290 to swing the cutter bar member 212 outwardly at every stroke of the plunger. 0n the other hand, if it is desired to cut the material at every stroke of the plunger during the entire operation, the bell crank arm 302 can easily be blocked or tied in raised position, which will hold the dog 291 out of engagement with the plate 290 throughout the entire operation of forming a bale, thereby resulting in a cutting relation between the knife 210 and cutter bar 211 at each stroke of the plunger.

It will be noted that the plunger head 155 has a solid side wall .310 adjacent the feed opening 52, which blocks oil the feed opening as the plunger moves across the opening and into engagement with the bale, to prevent material from being fed into the opening at such time. As stated previously, thev movement of the feeder fork is synchronized with the plunger so that it does not interfere therewith.

As best shown in Figure 18, the floor plate 110 within the bale case terminates approximately in alignment with the hinged edge of the panel 213 and from there on, the bale rests upon the horizontal flanges of the structural angle membars 26 at the two lower corners of the bale case. A center supporting member 311 is also provided directly below the member 251, to hold the shape of the bale. At the end of the main portion of the bale case 2|, is disposed a compression case or chamber 312, best shown in Figures 3-6, inclusive, which comprises a plurality of structural angle members 26a disposed in alignment with the bale case members 26, and having 16 pression case 312 is detachably connectedto the end of the bale case 2| b means of a pair of vertically disposed hinges 313, 314, extending vertically along the front and rear corners of the end of the bale case. Each hinge joint comprises a hinge pin 315 extending vertically through vertically aligned tubular hinge bearings 316, 311 fixed to the bale case members 26 and to the rear edge of the walls 501;, 61a, respectively, and also through a pair of vertically spaced bracket plates 313, which are rigidly fixed to the upper and lower frame members 26a of the compression chamber 312. Normally, the compression chamber 312 is secured rigidly to the end of thebale case during operation, but can be removed byv pulling the two hinge pins 315 upwardly out of the hinge bearings 313, 314. Usually, it is more convenient to merely remove the front hinge pin andswing the compression chamber 312 rearwardly about the axis of the rear hinge 313, as shown in Figure 6, in which position the overall width of the bailing press is not excessive for transport purposes.

Each of the front and rear walls 50a, 51a of the compression chamber 312 is provided with a vertically extending compression beam member 325, 326, respectively. The compression beams 325, 326 are each in the form of a structural channel member which is rigidly fixed, as by welding, to the side wall and frame members 26a of the compression chamber 312, and extend above and below the latter. The upper ends of the two compression beams 325, 326 are interconnected b means of a tie rod 321 which has a head 323 at one end and is threaded at the other end to receive a nut 329. .The nut 329 has a handle 330 for the purpose of tightening and loosening the same.

The lower ends of the compression beams 325, 326 are offset outwardly at 331 and are provided with a tie rod 332 having a nut 333 at one end, operable by a handle 334. A pair of compression shoes 336, 331 are disposed above and below the center of the compression chamber, respectively. Each of the shoes 336, 331 is coupled to the adjacent ends of the upright compression beams 325, 326 by means of toggle links 338 disposed substantially horizontally but inclined slightly inwardly between the ends of the beams and the shoes, so that by moving the beams 325, 326 toward each other horizontally, the shoes 336, 331 are shifted toward each other in a vertical direction, thereby reducing the area of cross sec-' tion of the compression chamber. This results in an increase in the amount of force necessary to push the bales through the compression chamber, which causes the plunger head to pack the crop material more densely in the bale. The beams 325, 326 are adjusted closer together, by tightening the nuts 329, 333 by means of the handles 330, 334. Each of the shoes 336 is tied to the respective upper or lower central bale case frame member 251, 311, respectively, by means of a tie bar 339.

As the completed bales emerge from the end of the compression chamber 312, they are supported on a table 345 until the are clear of the-compression case, after which they fall to the ground from the downwardly curved end 346 of the table 345. The table 345 comprises a generally horizontal sheet or plate 341 having a downwardly curved outer end 346 and the sheet is supported on a pair of structuralangle members 348, which are disposed directly beneath the lower angle members 26a of the compression case 312 and are 17 pivotally connected thereto by bolts 346, which permit the compression case members 26 to be squeezed inwardly by tightening the nut 333 on the tie rod 332. The angle members 348 rest on top of the tie rod 332 and slide relative thereto when the members 26aare drawn together. It is noted that the lower end 33I of the vertical members 325, 326 are offset outwardly to provide for movement toward each other without engaging the members 348.

Power is supplied for driving the various elements of the machine, through a power shaft 355 extending longitudinally along the draft frame 24 and having a suitable flexible power transmitting connection 356 of any conventional type, for connecting the power shaft 355 with the power take-off shaft of a tractor. The power shaft 355 is connected through a universal joint 351 with a drive shaft 358 mounted on the draft frame of the implement and which extends rear-- wardly beneath the bale case and is journaled in a plurality of bearings 359, 360, which are mountedon the wheel support frame 30 and on a U-shaped frame member 36! on the draft frame 24. The pick-up mechanism is driven from the shaft 62, as has been previously explained, which is connected through a universal joint 362 to a transverse shaft 363 journaled in a bearing 364, which is carried on the U-shaped frame member 36L A bevel gear 365 on the end of the shaft 363 meshes with a drive pinion 366, which is fixed to the drive shaft 358, from which power is obtained. The rear end of the last mentioned shaft carries a sprocket 369, which is connected through a chain 31I to a sprocket 310, which is mounted on a stub shaft 612, the latter being supported at one end on the lower bale case member 26 of the rear of the bale case and is carried at its outer end on a cantilever beam- 313. The beam 313 is rigidly bolted at 314 to a supporting plate 315 which supports therear bearing 316 for the shaft I59 of the bull gear I61. The shaft .312 also carries a flywheel 316 rearwardly of the sprocket 319 and rigidly connected thereto, and a pinion 319 (see Figure 3), which meshes with a countershaft gear 380 fixed to a countershaft 38I which is supported between the lower bale case member 26 and the plate 315. A countershaft pinion 382 is fixed to the countershaft 38I and meshes with the bull gear I61 on the crankshaft I59. Thus, the crankshaft I59 and the plunger head I55 connected thereto, are driven from the power shaft 358 through the chain 3H and the train of gears. Since the flywheel 318 is mounted on a comparatively high speed unit including the sprocket 310, the flywheel can be much'smaller than if it were mounted on the crankshaft itself. It has been previously explained that power for driving the tying mechanism is taken from a sprocket 206 on the crankshaft through a chain 204, while power for driving the feeder mechanism is also taken from the crankshaft through the pair of bevel gears I65, I66, shaft H0, and chain I08. It will be evident that the baling press is entirely automatic, no operator being required except the driver of the tractor which pulls the implement. From his seat on the tractor, the operator controls only the height of the platform through the control rod 89 and has a clear and unobstructed view of the platform and feeding mechanism. Furthermore, by virtue of the transverse position of the bale case, the operator on the tractor also has a view of the tying mechanism and can see the twine I96 as it is fed from the top of the twine can I91 and therefore can tell when the twine needs replenishing. He can also easily observe the bales as they falloff the end of the table 345.

I do not intend my invention to be limited to the exact details shown and described herein, except as limited by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case, a first cutting tool disposed along one side of saidopening, a second cutting tool'cooperative with said first cutting tool responsive to movement of said plunger for cutting ofl material being fed through said opening, means responsive to movement of said plunger for shifting said first cutting tool away from cutting relation with said second cutting tool to prevent cutting at certain times, and means for disabling said shifting means to cause said cutting tools to out said material.

2. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a first cutting tool disposed along one side of said opening, a second cutting tool mounted on said plunger and cooperative with said first tool and actuated by movement of said plunger for cutting off material being fed through said opening, shiftable mounting means for one of said cutting tools providing for movement of the latter out of cutting position, means responsive to movement of said plunger for shifting said one tool, and means for disabling said shifting means to effect a cutting relation between said tools.

3. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a first cutting tool disposed along one side of said opening, a second cutting tool mounted on said plunger and cooperative with said first tool and actuated by movement of said plunger for cutting off material being fed through said opening, shiftable mounting means for one of said cutting tools providing for movement of the latter out of cutting position, means engageable by said plunger in every stroke for shifting said one tool out of cutting position, and means for periodically disabling said shifting means to effect a cutting relation between said tools.

4. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a cutting tool mounted on said plunger and movable therewith, a cutting member movably mounted at one side of said opening and cooperative with said plunger mounted tool to cut material being fed through said opening at each stroke of said plunger but shiftable out of cutting engagement, means engageable with said plunger at each stroke of the latter and having a connection with said cutting member for shifting the latter out of cutting engagement, and means for periodically disabling said connection to effect a cutting relation.

5. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a cutting tool mounted on said plunger and movable therewith, a cutting member movably mounted at one side of said opening and cooperative with said plunger mounted tool to cut material being fed through said opening at each stroke of said plunger but shiftable out of cutting engagement, spring means for yieldably holding said member in cutting engagement, camming means engageable with said plunger at each stroke of the latter,

and a disconnectible connection between said camming means and said cutting member for optionally transmitting force therebetween to shift said member responsive to a stroke of said plunger.

6. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a cutting tool mounted on said plunger and movable therewith, a cutting member movably mounted at one side of said opening and cooperative with said plunger mounted tool to cut material being fed through said opening at each stroke of said plunger but shiftable out of cutting engagement, spring means for yieldably holding said member in said cutting engagement, a camming member shiftably disposed within said case and having a camming surface engageable with said plunger upon reciprocation of the latter causing said member to be forced outwardly of said case, and a dog normally disposed in a position in engagement between said camming member and said cutting member and so arranged and constructed that outward movement of said camming member acts through said dog to shift said cutting member out of cutting relation, said dog being shiftable out of said engaged position to prevent said cutting member from being shifted.

7. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a pair of cutting elements mounted on said plunger and on said case, respectively, and cooperable to cut off material being fed through said opening, one of said elements being shiftable to disabled position,'mechanism for tying the bales, and means responsive to actuation of said tying mechanism m cutting position for severing the material at the completion of a bale.-

10. In a baling press, a measuring device for determining the size of the formed bales, mechanism operative through a cycle for terminating the formation of one bale and initiating the formation of a succeeding bale, means for controlling an actuation of said mechanism, includ- -ing a pair of independently actuable control eleher, a pair of latch dogs biased for engagement for controlling said cutting elements to cause them to sever the material at completion of a bale.

8. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a, wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case past said opening, a pair of cutting elements mounted on said plunger and on said case, respectively, and cooperable to cut off I material being fed through said opening, one of said elements being shiftable to disabled position,

. means connected with one of saidelements for said opening and cooperative with said plunger mounted tool to cut material being fed through said opening at each stroke of said plunger but shiftable out of cutting engagement, means for yieldably holding said memberin cutting engagement, camming means engageable with said plunger at each stroke of the latter, a disconnectible connection between said camming means and said cutting member adapted to shift said member responsive to each stroke of said plunger, mechanism for tying the bales, and means responsive to actuation of said tying mechanism for disconnecting said connection to permit said spring means to hold said cutting member-in with the latter, means for releasing one of said dogs responsive to the partial formation of a bale, means responsive to the formation of a bale of predetermined size for releasing the other of said dogs, and means responsive to actuation of said mechanism for restoring at least one of said dogs to latched position.

12. In a baling press, a measuring device for determining the size of the bale being formed, binding mechanism for securing said bale, means responsive to said measuring device for actuating said mechanism when a bale reaches a predetermined size, said means comprising a trip member, a pair of latch dogs biased for engagement with the latter, means for releasing one of said dogs responsive to the partial formation of a bale, permitting said trip member to move into engagement with the other of said dogs, means responsive to the formation of a bale of predetermined size for releasing said other dog thereby effecting an actuation of said binding mechanism, and means responsive to actuation of said mechanism for restoring said trip member to its original position in latched engagement with said one dog.

13. In a baling press, a measuring wheel engageable with the side of a bale to measure the length thereof during formation, binding mechanism for securing said bale, means responsive to said measuring wheel for actuating said mechanismwhen a bale reaches a predetermined length, said means comprising a trip member biased toward the tripping position in which said mechanism is actuated, a pair of latch dogs biased for engagement with said trip member, a shaft turned by said wheel, a cam fixed to said shaft and engageable with one of said latch dogs to release the latter after the bale acquires a predetermined intermediate length, thereby permitting said trip member to be moved by its biasing means past said one latch dog into engagement with the other of said dogs, a second cam fixed to said shaft and engageable with said other dog to release the latter responsive to said bale acquiring a predetermined final length, thereby permitting said trip member to be moved by its biasing means into said tripping position, and means responsive tot-actuation of said mechanism for returning said trip member to its original position in latched engagement with said one dog.

14. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable initiating the formation of a succeeding bale, and

means responsive to said mechanism for controlling said cutting tools and arranged to normally prevent said tools from cutting the material but operative to actuate said tools at the completion of a bale.

15. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case, a first cutting tool disposed along one side of said opening, a second cutting tool mounted on said plunger for movement there-- with across said opening into cutting relation with said first tool for severing material being fed through said opening, one of said tools being shiftably mounted for movement between an active position in which it cooperates with the other tool upon movement of said plunger and a disabled position, a measuring device for determining the size of the bale being formed, mechanism responsive to said measuring device and operative through a cycle for terminating the formation of one bale and initiating the formation of a succeeding bale, and means responsive to said mechanism for controlling said shiftable tool and arranged to maintain the latter in disabled position to prevent severing the material during the formation of each bale but to cause said shiftable tool to be positioned in said active position at the completion of each bale.

18. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case, a first cutting tool disposed along one side of said opening, a second cutting tool mounted on said plunger for movement therewith across said opening into cutting relation with said first tool for severing material being fed through said opening, one of said tools being shiftably mounted for movement between an active position in which it cooperates with the other tool upon movement of said plunger and a disabled position, a measuring device for determining the size of the bale being formed, mechanism responsive to said measuring device and operative through a cycle for terminating the formation of one bale and initiating the formation of a succeeding bale, means responsive to said mechanism for controlling said shiftable tool comprising means actuated by said plunger for shifting saidshiftable tool to disabled position 1 during each compression stroke of the plunger and returning the tool to active position during each return stroke of the plunger, and means actuated by said bale terminating mechanism for disabling said tool shifting means during the bale terminating cycle, thereby positioning said shiftable tool in active cutting position to sever the material.

17. In a baling press, a bale case having a feed opening in a wall thereof, a plunger reciprocable within said case, a first cutting tool disposed along one side of said opening, a second cutting tool mounted on said plunger for movement therewith across said opening into cutting relation with said first-tool for severing material 'being fed through said opening, said first cutting tool being mounted on said""bal e case by means providing for shifting movementhetween an active cutting position in which it cooperates with said second tool upon movement of the plunger and a disabled position in which it is spaced away from the plane of movement of said plunger mounted cutting tool, a measuring device for determining the size of the bale being formed, mechanism responsive to said measuring device and operative through a cycle for terminating the formation of one bale and initiating the formation of a succeeding bale, means responsive to said mechanism for, controlling said shiftable tool comprising resilient means urging the latter toward said active posi tion, means ges-bio by said plunger during each compression stroke for shifting said first tool to said disabled position, and means responsive to actuation of said bale terminating mechanism for disabling said tool shifting means.

GEORGE B. HILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 284,686 Thorne Sept. 11, 1883 881,432 Miller Mar. 10, 1908 947,039 Hart Jan. 18, 1910 1,028,404 Trabue June 4, 1912 1,053,397 Jackson Feb. 18, 1913 1,075,376 Pearson et al. Oct. 14, 1913 1,305,344 Dudley June 3, 1919 1,756,988 Nichols May 6, 1930 1,830,623 Rollman Nov. 3, 1931 1,863,648 Bernard June 21, 1932 2,097,353 Tallman et al Oct. 26, 1937 2,293,679 Barker Aug. 18, 1942 2,318,229 Jones May 4, 1943 2,446,878 Kaupke et al Aug. 10, 1948 2,450,082 Crumb et al. Sept. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Denmark Nov. 26, 1909 

